Cookbook Review: Happy Herbivore Light & Lean

I am so excited to be posting today about a new cookbook: Happy Herbivore Light & Lean. I stumbled upon Happy Herbivore a few years back when the school I attended for my masters degree had the author (Lindsay Nixon) down for a cooking demonstration. Unfortunately I heard about the event after it had already happened so I was not able to attend. Years later I am inspired by Lindsay's recipes and website and I especially love her Minimalist Monday series. And it turns out... Lindsay and I have my alma mater in common! We both attended the College of Charleston in beautiful Charleston, SC. Needless to say, I'm a fan. When I heard about the opportunity to share a recipe with my blog readers I jumped at the chance.
Lindsay's new cookbook is pretty amazing. I was especially surprised to find that the recipes are organized by calorie count, a life saver for someone like me who swears by calorie counting to keep my eating in check. If I know I have 400 calories left for dinner I can easily find a recipe that fits within my limits. Lindsay also lists nutritional information and weight watchers points.

Below you will find the recipe for Soba Peanut Noodles from her new cookbook, and below that - a Q & A with Lindsay herself! Check it out!

Soba Peanut Noodles

Serves 2

Gluten-free, Quick, Budget

All the taste you love in creamy peanut noodles but with less fat and calories thanks to a surprise ingredient: vegan yogurt! I call this a “cheater” recipe since I use a dab of peanut butter, but it’s still light compared to most peanut noodle recipes.

4 oz buckwheat noodles (could sub spaghetti)

2 green onions, sliced cubed tofu or edamame (optional)

vegetables, like broccoli or cucumber (optional)

Creamy Peanut Sauce

2 tbsp plain vegan yogurt

1 tbsp smooth peanut butter

1 tbsp sweet red chili sauce

few dashes garlic powder

few dashes ground ginger

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1–2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce or gluten-free tamari

Asian hot sauce (e.g., Sriracha; optional)

Cook noodles according to package instructions, rinse under cold water in a colander, and chill in the fridge for a few minutes if you can. Meanwhile, whisk peanut sauce ingredients together. Taste, adding more soy sauce or tamari, garlic, onion, or hot sauce as desired. Toss noodles with sauce, then stir in green onion, tofu or edamame if using, and vegetables, if using.

Chef’s Note: Despite having “wheat” in the name, buckwheat flour is completely gluten-free. Just make sure your noodles are 100% buckwheat if you have an allergy or sensitivity.

Per serving

Calories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .274

Fat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6g

Carbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47.5g

Fiber. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6.6g

Sugars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.7g

Protein. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.4g

WW Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

The Veg Review: Do you have any tips for being minimalist in the kitchen? (besides cleaning out drawers - which is great to do too!) 

Lindsay Nixon: Don’t stockpile. Only buy what you need. Never shop without a list. If you haven’t used it in 6 months, donate it. Never keep two of anything except for basic stuff like forks. Don’t buy random gadgets like an avocado peeler. Get things off the countertop! (See my minimalist monday posts for more ideas).

VR: What do you think having a minimalist attitude toward food looks like? I know many of us think about food often throughout the day which likely distracts from our productivity.

LN: I follow (and can’t recommend enough) my meal plans (http://www.getmealplans.com). You shop and cook once a week. Then your meals are just ready for you. It takes a lot of the thinking and wondering away -- its already decided. AND you only buy what you need with no waste or spoilage. Super minimalist!

VR: What was your favorite holiday growing up? 

LN: My birthday, which I guess doesn’t really count—but it was the only day in the year I got to eat exactly what I wanted.

VR: Where does your recipe inspiration come from? 

LN: It’s a mixed bag. Sometimes I’ll pick up an ingredient and figure out a way to make something with it. Other times I’ll see something and want to recreate it at home. For example, when I was in Ireland I saw signs all over the place for Guinness stew or Irish stew. Of course it wasn’t vegan, or vegetarian, so I waited until I got home, learned about the traditional recipe, then made a plant-based version… and now it’s in Light & Lean!


Thanks for stopping by on your blog tour Lindsay! Stay tuned for more recipe reviews from the Happy Herbivore Light & Lean Cookbook in the next couple weeks. - The Veg Review

Thanksliving

I had a terrific Thanks-living this year. I was having a lot of anxiety about the holiday in general because I do not want to put anyone out with my "special needs" but at the same time, I want to feast! So this year I had the best of both worlds: I was able to run a 5k with my man in the morning, have an early (and quiet) T-day spread, then hit the road for some family time in the afternoon. It was perfect!

This is our second vegan Thanksgiving and we tried a Tofurky holiday roast for the first time. My husband seemed to love it, I would give it a 5/10. However, the roast came with the most delicious gravy I have had (even better than the meat based kind!). So that ups the rating to at least an 8/10. I found it for about $10 at Target. 

We also made Mac and Teese (amazing stuff, if you haven't tried Teese yet... you must!), mashed potatoes, corn, rolls, and a really yummy balsamic vinaigrette/cashew/dried cranberries/croutons/spinach salad. Top it off with a little wine and cookies for dessert = the perfect combination! My only regret is all the yellow on our plate - green beans might have been a better aesthetic choice (over corn). 

  

What was your favorite part of Thanks-living this year? 

BBB

T.J.'s Magnificent Black Bean Burgers! 

1 can of black beans rinsed and drained, then mashed
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup of spinach
1 handful of various chopped vegetables (broccoli, tomato, zucchini, carrot, etc.)
1 small handful oats
1/8 cup flour
1 Tbl Olive oil
1 spoonful Veganiase
Salt, pepper, a dash of cayenne, and whatever else is on hand! Get creative with it.

Ninja together (or food process) the veggies until they are well chopped but not pureed, then add the mashed beans. Pulse and avoid over blending once the beans are in. Form into patties and fry them up on the stove with a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Use more flour if the mix is too thin.
Top with veggie "cheese" slices and guacamole for extra points.

What do you throw in your black bean burger mix? Where did you have the best black bean burger of your life? Mine was right here in my kitchen. My husband sure does make a mean black bean burger!

Charleston Vegan Eats: Five Loaves Cafe & Mellow Mushroom

Can I just take a moment to say how beautiful Charleston is? Arguably one of the most beautiful places in the U.S. Look at this college campus! Can you imagine going to school here and then moving to INDIANA? 

While downtown Charleston a couple weeks ago we decided to check out Five Loaves Cafe. This place is good... especially if you are NOT a vegan. But it worked for us. We ordered the only 2 veganish items on the menu: Sweet Chili Glazed Eggplant Wrap and the Mediterranean Garden Wrap. They were both pretty good, but definitely not the highest highlight of our trip.

The place was pretty cute but I was so hungry I forgot to take pics of the food. So instead you get a pic of the table with a nice Lucille Ball quote on it!

One of the nights we needed a late night snack and I had heard a rumor that Mellow Mushroom had vegan cheese. The rumor was true! And the pizza was pretty stinking good. This is only the second restaurant made vegan-cheese pizza we have had, so it really was a treat for us! It has Daiya cheese and sun dried tomatoes on it.

Recipe Review: Cheezy Broccoli Orzo

Time and again I have been disappointed by "cheezy" sauce recipes or mixes or jars. I am happy to announce that today I finally made one that is as good as it looks! I made just a few slight variations to this recipe which can be found posted publicly here on My Vegan Cookbook or pinned to my Vegan Recipe Pinterest board here.

First, I omitted onion powder because we didn't have any, second, I added a squirt of Dijon mustard and third, I cut the amount of nutritional yeast in half (because I'm not a huge nooch fan!). I also steamed (instead of boiled) extra broccoli because I love love broccoli!

I give this recipe a 10/10. It is so creamy and comforting. I hope it heats up well... I'll get back to you on that. I think this would make a really great side dish or even an entree. I ate it by itself for lunch today. It reminds me a lot of non-vegan broccoli rice casserole but even better.

P.S. Isn't orzo amazing?

Charleston Vegan Eats: The Sprout

I recently spent some time in Charleston, SC, a place I used to call home. Back when I lived there I was a vegetarian, not a vegan, and already found it to be pretty non-veg friendly. I am happy to report that is beginning to change! The area now boasts a couple of all vegetarian restaurants and more veg-friendliness all around. They even have a Whole Foods.

The first spot I tried during this trip was called The Sprout. Online this place looked great. When we arrived we realized it is inside a gym! Like those smoothie places they put in gyms sometimes. But a little better than that. It had its own entrance and we chose to sit outside (because the inside was blaring gym music and smelled a bit like a gym). The food was good but not spectacular. I ordered the taco lunch so I could try a couple different things. I had the organic seared tofu taco and the avocado and black bean taco. Both were pretty good. The side salad it came with was good too. My husband ordered the walnut burger which came on sandwich bread... but was otherwise pretty tasty.

A truly healthy meal on vacation!

Finally, we ordered a vegan doughnut for dessert. Which was the highlight of the meal! :-)
If you are looking to eat a meal you can feel good about while in Charleston, I recommend this place all the way. I even lost weight on this trip we ate so well!

 

Zucchini Pasta and Homemade Marinara Sauce

My spiralizer arrived! And it is as amazing as I was promised it would be. Check out this beautiful zucchini pasta:

I also made a sauce from scratch to go with the veggie pasta for a super healthy dish. I used the recipe in the Vegan Stoner Cookbook and actually made it a few days ahead of time when I already had the tomatoes and cutting board out and the kitchen was a mess. It takes about an hour on the stove so it is a good weekend project.

Overall I would give the marinara recipe a 6/10. It was pretty good. A little on the sweet side and time consuming. It felt much healthier than Prego out of the jar though!

Lentil Loaf Recipe Review

Behold, Lentil Loaf.

This stuff is good. And healthy. And most importantly, good. The Vegan Stoner Cookbook is filled with easy to make, totally delicious, comfort food! I haven't met a recipe in there yet that I didn't love. This recipe gets an 8/10 because a meatloaf-like meal can only possibly score an 8 in my world. So it is at the top of the meatloaf-like charts! The Vegan Stoner actually has this recipe on their website, so you can find it right here!

What better to pair lentil loaf with than mashed potatoes? Yum!

Anyone else out there cooking up some comfort food? What if the ingredients are just beans, nuts, and veggies, making it a totally healthy comfort food (plus a little ketchup)? Does that still count?

Veggie Lasagna Recipe

Look at these veggies! I scored big at the farmer's market today. Check out that beautiful eggplant and round zucchini! I knew I needed to make a delicious lasagna. Bonus: this recipe is low-calorie.

 Veggie Lasagna
10 lasagna noodles
1.5 cups pasta sauce
1 large tomato
1 eggplant
1 large zucchini
1 cup spinach
1 cup tofu ricotta (see recipe below)

Boil a big pot of water and add the 10 lasagna noodles. Then get chopping! Slice the eggplant, zucchini and tomato pretty thin, about 1/4 inch.

 Before you start assembling, make the tofu ricotta.

 Tofu Ricotta
1/2 block extra firm tofu
1 large garlic clove
1 Tbl olive oil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp salt
375 degrees for 45 minutes

I like to use the Ninja - does anybody out there have one of these? It is amazing! My sister got it for me for Christmas and it is like a blender and food processor all in one.

Throw in the tofu ricotta ingredients, then chop with the Ninja! 

Next is a whole lot of layering. 3 noodles in the bottom first, then tomato sauce and a couple spoonfuls of ricotta. Then add in a layer of sliced veggies and spinach. Top with more noodles and do it all again. The top layer should have just tomato sauce and ricotta but a few slices of tomato would be really pretty too! 

Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes at 375 degrees until veggies are tender. Enjoy with some fresh french bread!